A short month with big happenings…
The 28 days of February will be busy for Founding Forward.
Applications are open for our 2025 Spirit of America Youth Leadership Program sessions and our Teacher Seminars, Workshops, and Summits.
- Through four days at our Valley Forge campus, high school students, participating in our Spirit of America program, strengthen their critical thinking and leadership skills to give them a competitive edge in their future. Sessions are scheduled for February through July. Most students attend at no cost. Register to attend today.
- Our free teacher programs provide educators with insights and inspiration through week-long seminars, interactive motorcoach tours, and weekend summits exploring such a variety of topics. Apply today!
And, of course, Lincoln Day on February 12 marks one year since we announced the merger of Freedoms Foundation and The Union League Legacy Foundation that created Founding Forward. This year, we’ll have exciting news about fulfilling the promise of greater reach with a bigger impact. Stay tuned to our social channels for more information.
Enhancing our collections
Founding Forward recently purchased a collection of items related to Lincoln Memorial Room artist, Jakob Otto Schweizer (1863-1955). Schweizer designed the Lincoln Memorial Room in the Union League House, a highlight for anyone visiting us at this Philadelphia landmark. The collection includes 40 plaster models of his sculptures, along with documents and photographs. Plans are in the works for an exhibit in the Lincoln Memorial Room next year.
Learn more about our work to preserve, share, and present our collections, including the historic collections of the Union League.
Mark these dates for speaker programs
Liberty Series: Patriotism, Higher Education, & Tocqueville
with Paul Carrese, founding director of the School of Civic & Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University.
Thursday, February 27
Liberty Series: More People, More Innovation, More Liberty
with Dr. Marian Tupy, Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity
Monday, March 3
Civil War Round Table: The Lincoln Miracle: The 1860 Convention that Changed History
with Edward Achorn, Pulitzer Prize finalist and Lincoln political biographer
Monday, March 10
Our February and March speaker programs will be held in person at The Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street in Philadelphia. Attendance is free, but registration is required. If you cannot be there in person, you can still watch virtually on our YouTube channel starting at 6:30pm on the day of the event.
Click here to view the rest of our exciting spring 2025 line-up.
Looking back at January
A successful launch of our new teacher education program
44 teachers from across the country came to Liberty Hill for our first weekend summit, held in collaboration with the Jack Miller Center’s Founding Civics Initiative on the Declaration of Independence.
A busy weekend for our Good Citizenship Awardees
We hosted our invited Good Citizenship Awardees January 8-10 for a fast-paced exploration of freedom and free enterprise. They also visited the American Philosophical Society and Independence National Historic Park and engaged with several speakers.
This Valentine’s Day, share your love for civic education by sponsoring a student or teacher
Our transformative, immersive education programs are unmatched in their ability to provide educators and middle and high school students with knowledge of our country’s founding principles and equip them to be productive, informed citizens. Click here to send your love. Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Founding Forward!